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1
Rinse the suan cai briefly under cold running water to remove excess brine salt. Shred finely for even distribution through the pot. Taste: the cabbage should be sour and savoury but not aggressively salty.
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2
Place a dry pan or the base of the hotpot vessel over medium heat. Lay the pork belly slices in a single layer and dry-fry until the fat begins to render and the surfaces take on a little colour. The fat should run visibly and the meat should lose its raw grey. Remove and set aside.
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3
This is where the dish lives or dies: layer the ingredients in strict order into the hotpot vessel — shredded suan cai on the bottom, rendered pork belly slices in the middle, soaked glass noodles and tofu on top. Tuck the dried chillies and star anise among the layers. The fermented cabbage must sit beneath the pork so that its acidity rises through the fat as heat is applied; reversing the order yields a flat, poorly integrated result.
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4
Pour over enough water or unseasoned stock to cover all layers. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Add soy sauce sparingly. The broth should be steaming and active but never at a rolling boil — aggressive boiling disintegrates the cabbage strands. Adjust salt only at this point.
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5
Simmer gently until the pork is cooked through, the suan cai is silky and has absorbed the rendered fat, and the glass noodles are fully translucent and have taken on the colour of the broth. Taste the broth: it should be tangy, round, and porky with a clean fermented finish.
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6
Serve directly from the vessel at the table with crushed raw garlic on the side as a condiment.